Softball: Elyria freshmen steal show as Keystone plays first game at on-campus field

LAGRANGE — Saturday started as a celebration of Keystone's new on-campus softball field. Shortly after the first pitch, the day turned into a celebration of Elyria's new-look roster. With Hannah Quayle and Braylee Beckham — two of six freshmen in the Pioneers lineup — leading the way, Elyria routed Keystone 10-2 to improve to 5-0. The Elyria offense, which has produced 10 or more runs in four of the five games, provided a four-run first inning. In fact, Quayle, the first baseman, etched her name into the record book with the first home run hit on the field, a two-run blast over the right-field fence. "Getting on the board early, getting a crooked number early, allowed us to settle into the game," Elyria coach Keenan Williams said. "We came out right off the rip in the first inning and said we're going to be aggressive with the bats." Elyria's first three hitters, Beckham, JaNaiya Pierce and Camille Dunlap, reached base prior to Quayle's home run. The homer was just the start of the things for Quayle, who tripled and drove in a run in the third and singled and scored in the fifth. She came up in the seventh inning needing a double to hit for the cycle but grounded out to relief pitcher Sam Pugh. "I saw the pitch right down the middle and I just tried to swing my best," Quayle said of her third home run of the year. "It felt really, really good. I was proud of myself." Beckham worked out of jams in the opening two innings after allowing a pair of first-inning walks and a second-inning leadoff double to Keystone designated player Ava Armitage. She managed to keep the Wildcats off the board until the fourth inning. "I was focused on making sure my mindset was good," Beckham said. "When we score a lot of runs it raises my confidence because I know we're ahead, so that takes some of the pressure off." Beckham's 10 strikeouts were one off her career high last week against Strongsville. She finished the game by retiring 10 of the last 11 Keystone hitters. "She has a chance to be a really, really good one," Williams said of Beckham. "I think the best thing about it is she's not even close to reaching her full potential yet. She knows how to work out the kinks early and she finds a way to get stronger as the game progresses." Keystone (3-2) played for just the second time in nine days since returning from its season-opening Myrtle Beach trip and looked rusty at times. Armitage and shortstop Anna Wright had the Wildcats' only extra-base hits, both doubles, while the top four hitters in the lineup combined to go 1-for-11. "I saw a lot of room for improvement," Keystone coach Anna Saxton said. "And that can be a really great thing. It's early in the season and this is what we need to be able to continue to grow." Despite the final score, there were a lot of smiles in the Keystone dugout and among its fans as the team got to play on campus for the first time after decades at LaGrange Community Park. Prior to the game former Keystone coach Jim Piazza, now the softball coach and athletic director at Elyria Catholic, threw a ceremonial first pitch to christen the field. Piazza coached Keystone to state titles in 2006, 2012, 2018 and 2021. "It means the world to us to have this facility," Saxton said. "I was a part of a conversation about this six years ago and it just seemed like a dream and now we're here and we're playing. The community support and love that we felt today was amazing. We have to focus on reciprocating that love back and continue to grow and focus on what we can focus on." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.